Beginning (One Shot)
by mikechang
Summary: Jamal is sixteen and confused. He wants to understand music like the rest of his family do, so how does he really find this love for the art form? *This is a story about Jamal with mentions of Lucious*


**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I haven't written creatively in a while and this is the beginning of re-entering the world of fiction writing. I'm becoming really attached to Empire (particularly Jamal) so what better way than to write a one-shot about him!**

**Criticism would be great as I really want to improve!**

* * *

Living in a home that was constantly surrounded in music, one would probably expect Jamal to be its biggest fan. Truth be told, he hated it. Granted, he never really gave it a try, but his father never let him in the first place, so he hated it. Jamal was sixteen and stressed with school work, all he needed right now was an escape from it all but, between the draining isolation from his family and the non-existence of his friends, he didn't have many options. However that came to an end one day. On his way home from school Jamal noticed a poster attached to a fence. It was yellow with shots of a few people in their 20's and 30's on stage from different moments. Some were women, some were men, some had tattoos and some had hats. But something picked his interest the most. Jamal walked closer to the poster and read the words:

"_LUCIOUS LYON PRESENTS: THE EMPIRE CONCERT_

_FREE ENTRY_"

Lucious. Lyon. That was _his _father!

Jamal quickly ripped the poster off of the fence in excitement and glared at the words. _Lucious. Lyon. Concert. Free_! Could this be the day that he finally got to witness his father's work, _live_!? Jamal looked around to see if his father would quickly grab him from behind but he was nowhere to be seen. The young teen slapped the poster against his chest in glee and smiled. He was going to this concert and nobody could stop him. This could finally be his chance at redeeming some kind of connection with his father!

7:00pm. Jamal walked slowly as he watched his every step before he entered the gate. No music was playing but he could feel the energy as the people slowly poured into the venue. And, before he knew it, he was there. He looked up from his steps and saw it. He saw the teens trying to get as close to the stage as they could, he saw the adults smoking with wide grins, he saw the workers at the concessions stand hurriedly hand out popcorn before the event began, but most importantly he saw the poster with his father's name on it. This was it. This was the moment Jamal would finally get to experience his father at work – and Lucious never even had to know about it!

Half an hour later the lights began to dim and the crowd immediately roared. Jamal closed his eyes and felt the energy lift his spirit, and as soon as the sound was heard, his eyes and mouth shot wide open.

"_Oh-ooh-ohhhh_" the music was empowering through its first note and instantaneously rushed through Jamal's body. Every time the performer made a new sound the crowd got louder and louder and this caused Jamal's grin to grow bigger and bigger.

The music was pumping, the lights were beaming and the audience were jumping, so much that Jamal's still body was moving without his muscles doing it for him. Jamal took it all in; how the simple sound of the human voice made other people scream in joy, how the atmosphere refused to allow anybody experience it without a smile, and how regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or background, you were accepted and would be having fun.

At the end of the concert the artists all came out to deliver one more song. After the closing number left everybody in the audience sweaty and excited, a man was brought on stage to be congratulated. As soon as he came out he was hugged immediately by every man and woman around him, and then one of the artists yelled "_LUCIOUS LYON, EVERYBODY!_" and Jamal's smile dropped. His eyes grew wider and as Lucious began to speak, they all became slightly teary. Whilst hearing his father thank the crowd for giving him the opportunity to work with his passion and to share it with so many people, Jamal's smile slowly grew back. He realised what music meant to his father and understood how it changed his life. But Jamal didn't feel like he finally understood _music_, Jamal felt like he finally understood his _father_.


End file.
